Water Conservation and/or Water Pollution Prevention
Cranberry Station Elementary School continues water conservation practices in and around our building. Our student-centered rain garden which features Maryland native plants, continues to provide opportunities for students to learn about ways to protect our fragile environment. Students are instructed through our Water Quality Science Unit and are provided hands-on opportunities to test the water quality of the runoff of our parking lot. Using watershed models, children watch the runoff and visually understand the impact that we, here in Westminster, have on the Bay. They assess runoff from our parking lot for pH and nitrate levels, and turbidity. Students then determine ways they can filter the water before it reaches the Bay. Over the past 4 years, children have maintained and improved our rain garden, replacing plants when necessary, and weeding, mulching, maintaining and repairing curb cuts, and more. They have taken ownership and pride knowing they are doing something to improve and protect the environment. Fifth graders also study the effects of errosion around our school. Storm drains around our grounds have been recently stenciled to make people aware that the water goes to our Chesapeake Bay. Children brainstormed ideas and voted on, "Next Stop...Chesapeake Bay!" as the slogan for each storm drain. This has created an awareness and encourages the community to be conscientious about pollution and to be responsible. The SGA Green Team has also created and placed, "The Bay Starts Here," labels around the faucets in each bathroom in our school. T.V. commercials on our morning announcements, encourage and educate students to think about where their water is going and reminds them what a precious resource it is.
Fourth graders paint reminders that everything travels to the Bay!
Waste Reduction
Students at Cranberry Station Elementary continue to participate in Waste-Free Wednesdays. Over the past 4 years, we have broadened this program to include tracking the amount of trash that is wasted/thrown away by collecting and analyzing data in line graphs. Each grade's waste is counted and the Green Team tracks and shares the data.
Earth Explorers' Club: Title One after-school program (25 3rd and 4th graders, 2012, 2013)
Earth Explorer Teachers(2012)- Aimee Kilgore, Kathy Rollings, Tracie Sturgil, Jessica Wynne, Lara Groboski, Heather McKenzie, Jean Repsher, Ginnie Zawacki
Earth Explorers graph habitat data found in compost.
Earth Explorers' Focus: to create an awareness of the environment and human impact; explore and discover ways to prevent and help reduce the amount of waste produced at CSE
Students in our after-school club have been instructed about the benefits of composting, in several ways. Teachers from Carroll County's Outdoor School program came in and shared their knowledge and expertise with our third and fourth graders. Earth Explorers, which began in 2012, inspired students to take care of and be responsible for their own actions towards the environment. Students have taken ownership of this learning and have started collecting compostable materials on their own during their lunch time.
The cafeteria assistants work tirelessly with the children to teach them about recycling. Trash cans have been labeled and a recycling center has been created to encourage the children to recycle. This year a new paper recycling program, ABITI ,was initiated by the PTA. There are large bins located in each hallway specifically for paper. This paper is collected and weighed and money is earned to benefit our PTA's initiatives. Our first collection weighed over 1,000 pounds!
Habitat Restoration
Our rain garden not only helps with water conservation efforts, but it also creates an enviornment that supports Maryland's native organisms. By learning about the benefits of planting native plants, students are understanding how delicate the balance is in and around our school and their own homes. By planting and maintaining the native plants around Cranberry Station Elementary School, we are helping to nurture our future generation of native plant gardeners. Fifth Grade teacher, Erica Warner, has created a Native Plant Guide to benefit and support instruction of our native plants here at CSE. There are many groups helping to maintain and further develop the health and happiness of our school's outdoor habitats. The YMCA mainains several of our gardens, kindergarteners grow and release monarch butterflies annually, and our 4th graders are growing and releasing praying mantid this year. Fifth graders are working with their science teachers and Outdoor School teachers to identify and clean out invasive species on the outskirts of our school grounds. Fourth graders also work to maintain our existing gardens and are beginning to work with our first graders to start gardening vegetables in our newly built raised beds.
We are anxiously awaiting the creation of a new growing area around our newly constructed greenhouse. The Master Gardeners of Carroll County have submitted a plan for the beautification of the area around the greenhouse.
Our bluebird trail currently has 10 boxes along the trail that is maintained and monitored by 5th grade students.
Building Structures for Learning about the Environment
There's been a lot of activity at CSE! Last year, a former Cranberry student, Kurt Wonilowicz, completed his Eagle Scout project and built a greenhouse for us. This
Our new raised beds are built.
greenhouse will be used by all grades, to instruct students on how, why, and what to grow. Our Earth Explorers after-school club is currently measuring and designing a plan for shelving and tables for the interior of the greenhouse. Adjacent to the greenhouse, Outdoor School teachers have built four raised beds for future vegetable gardens. Produce grown here will be used not only to teach the children how to grow food, but they will also reap the benefits of their labors by eating what they grow. Three-Year Plan: We are continuing to look toward the future and our Green-School vision to teach our students about environmental issues. We have developed a plan for continual growth on our school grounds.
Three-compartment composter site ( Installed April 5th, 2013)--currently our composter is mobile and we will build a permanent site for school-wide use
Garden Shed to house equipment (slated for spring 2013)
Water Conservation and/or Water Pollution Prevention
Cranberry Station Elementary School continues water conservation practices in and around our building. Our student-centered rain garden which features Maryland native plants, continues to provide opportunities for students to learn about ways to protect our fragile environment. Students are instructed through our Water Quality Science Unit and are provided hands-on opportunities to test the water quality of the runoff of our parking lot. Using watershed models, children watch the runoff and visually understand the impact that we, here in Westminster, have on the Bay. They assess runoff from our parking lot for pH and nitrate levels, and turbidity. Students then determine ways they can filter the water before it reaches the Bay. Over the past 4 years, children have maintained and improved our rain garden, replacing plants when necessary, and weeding, mulching, maintaining and repairing curb cuts, and more. They have taken ownership and pride knowing they are doing something to improve and protect the environment. Fifth graders also study the effects of errosion around our school.Storm drains around our grounds have been recently stenciled to make people aware that the water goes to our Chesapeake Bay. Children brainstormed ideas and voted on, "Next Stop...Chesapeake Bay!" as the slogan for each storm drain. This has created an awareness and encourages the community to be conscientious about pollution and to be responsible. The SGA Green Team has also created and placed, "The Bay Starts Here," labels around the faucets in each bathroom in our school. T.V. commercials on our morning announcements, encourage and educate students to think about where their water is going and reminds them what a precious resource it is.
Waste Reduction
Students in our after-school club have been instructed about the benefits of composting, in several ways. Teachers from Carroll County's Outdoor School program came in and shared their knowledge and expertise with our third and fourth graders. Earth Explorers, which began in 2012, inspired students to take care of and be responsible for their own actions towards the environment. Students have taken ownership of this learning and have started collecting compostable materials on their own during their lunch time.
The cafeteria assistants work tirelessly with the children to teach them about recycling. Trash cans have been labeled and a recycling center has been created to encourage the children to recycle. This year a new paper recycling program, ABITI ,was initiated by the PTA. There are large bins located in each hallway specifically for paper. This paper is collected and weighed and money is earned to benefit our PTA's initiatives. Our first collection weighed over 1,000 pounds!
Habitat Restoration
Our rain garden not only helps with water conservation efforts, but it also creates an enviornment that supports Maryland's native organisms. By learning about the benefits of planting native plants, students are understanding how delicate the balance is in and around our school and their own homes. By planting and maintaining the native plants around Cranberry Station Elementary School, we are helping to nurture our future generation of native plant gardeners. Fifth Grade teacher, Erica Warner, has created a Native Plant Guide to benefit and support instruction of our native plants here at CSE. There are many groups helping to maintain and further develop the health and happiness of our school's outdoor habitats. The YMCA mainains several of our gardens, kindergarteners grow and release monarch butterflies annually, and our 4th graders are growing and releasing praying mantid this year. Fifth graders are working with their science teachers and Outdoor School teachers to identify and clean out invasive species on the outskirts of our school grounds. Fourth graders also work to maintain our existing gardens and are beginning to work with our first graders to start gardening vegetables in our newly built raised beds.We are anxiously awaiting the creation of a new growing area around our newly constructed greenhouse. The Master Gardeners of Carroll County have submitted a plan for the beautification of the area around the greenhouse.
Our bluebird trail currently has 10 boxes along the trail that is maintained and monitored by 5th grade students.
Building Structures for Learning about the Environment
There's been a lot of activity at CSE! Last year, a former Cranberry student, Kurt Wonilowicz, completed his Eagle Scout project and built a greenhouse for us. ThisThree-Year Plan: We are continuing to look toward the future and our Green-School vision to teach our students about environmental issues. We have developed a plan for continual growth on our school grounds.